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Grilled Half Cornish Hen

Food Memories

Newly arrived in Spicewood, we tried Opies for BBQ, as we made our quest to find our favorite BBQ place in Central Texas. We have tried dozens, in Austin, down to Lockhart, south to San Antonio, and north... Read more

What: This variety of agua fresca is particularly popular in Oaxaca. Horchata—a sweet, milky-looking agua fresca made of ground rice, water, cinnamon, sugar, and sometimes vanilla and/or nuts, such as almonds—is common all over Mexico, but in Oaxaca, in addition to serving it plain and/or studded with nuts, they like to mix it with tuna, the sweet fruit of the prickly-pear cactus (not to be confused with tuna the fish, or atún). The cold, bright-pink beverage that results is quite sweet, but also nutty and refreshing.

Where: We found horchata con tuna (14p) inside the Mercado Benito Juárez (Miguel Cabrera at Las Casas, map) at a puesto called Susi (no. 29), where it’s served dotted with walnuts and hunks of cantaloupe.

Alternatively: Another popular spot for this is Susi’s neighbor in Benito Juárez, Casilda (no. 30-31), which offers lots of different horchata-and-fruit variations, including this one.

Good to know: If you’re in this part of Mercado Benito Juárez and have a sweet tooth, don’t miss the nearby neverías, like El Niagara.

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